Improvement in harvester-reels



G. A. BRUCE.

H a'rvester.

Patented July 3, 1855.

N. PETERS. Hmm-Limo nbmr. Wahingmn, D4 c4 UNiTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GARDNER A. BRUCE, OF MEOHANIO SBURG, ILLINOISJ IMPROVEMENT IN HARVESTER-REELS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 13,159, dated July 3, 1855.

i 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GARDNER A. BRUCE, of Mechanicsburg, in the county of Sangamon and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Harvesters; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a plan or top view of my improvement. Fig. 2 is a back view of the same. Fig. 3 is aside view of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

The nature of my invention consists in constructing thereel withhinged or swinging bars, as will be hereinafter described.

To enable others skilled in the art to fully understand and construct myinvention, I will proceed to describe it.

A represents the platform of the machine, supported by wheels B B, and having a draftpole, 0, attached to it in the usual or any proper manner.

To the front part of the machine there are attached the vertical uprights a a, in the upper part of which the journals of a shaft, D, of a reel, E, work. The bars I) of this reel are flat and are of a greater width than usual, and the ends of the bars are provided with pivots c at their ends and at their upper edges, said pivots fitting loosely in holes at the ends of radial arms (1, attached to both ends of the shaft D of the reel E. The pivots, being secured in the bars I) at the edges of their ends, cause the bars by their own gravity to keep in a vertical position as the reel rotates. Motion is given the reel E by a belt, 0, which passes around the axiefof the wheel B and around one end of the shaft D, as shown clearly in Figs. 1 and 3.

To one side of the upright a a pulley, F, is attached, the. shaft 9 of the pulley passing beyond its bearing and having a crank, h, attaehed to it. The pulley is rotated by means of a band, i, which passes around it and also arounda pulley, G, on the axlefof the wheel B.

H represents an upright, the journals of which fit looselyin their bearings. The upper bearing'is in a projecting arm, I, attached to the top of the upright a, and the lower bearing is in a bar, J, attached to the lower part of the machine.

K represents a bent or right-angled lever which is secured in a slot in the upright a. A pin,j, passes through this lever near its angle, and serves as its fulcrum. The end of the lower arm of this lever is provided with a frictionroller, k, (see Figs. 1 and 2,) and also with an arm, I, to the outer end of which the crank h of the shaft of the pulley F is attached. The arm l is allowed to turn on a pin'in the end of the lower arm of the lever K.

L is a rectangular guide-frame, attached to the upright a. The friction-roller It works on the outer side of this frame, as will be presently shown.

M is a connecting-rod,attached at one end by a pivot to the upper end of the upper arm of the lever K. The opposite end of this rod is forked, and is secured to a rake-shaft, N, by pivots. The rake-shaft N is attached at its upper end by a pivot to the outer end of an arm, 0. The inner end of this arm is attached by a pivot to the upper end of the upright H.

P, Figs.2 and 3, is a friction roller,fitted in the ends of arms m, attached to the upright H.

At the lower end of-the shaft N a rake, Q, is attached.

At the lower part of the upright 11 there are attached arms a, to the endsof which a concave receiver, R, is attached, said receiver being so secured to the arms by a rod, 0, passing through eyes 19 at the center of the under sides of the receiver. Directly under the receiver there is a curved inclined rod, 1', the use of which will be presently shown.

Operation: As the machine is drawn along the reel E is made to rotate by means of the belt e,and the bars I) of said reel are alwaysin avertical position, thereby presentinga broad surface to thegrain and effectually presenting the grain to the action of the cutters, and causing the cut grain to lie properly on the platform A. The bars b, in consequence of swinging on the pivots 0, enter or descend into the grass vertically, and yield or give in a measure during their action upon it. The pulleyF is made to rotate by means of the belt 6, and as the pulleyF rotates the crank h, attached to its shalt 9, acts upon the arm Z, attached to the end of the lower arm of the bent lever K, and draws the friction-roller around the guide-frame L, and in so doing the rake Q is drawn over the platform A and the cut grain brought onto the receiver It. The upright H, rake Q, and receiver R are then turned round and the rake forced directly outward from the upright H, and the receiver then tilts and the grain falls from the receiver in sufficient quantity to form a gavel. The upright H, receiver 1%, and rake Q in a distended state turn till the rake is again at the farther end of the platform, and theoperationa-bovedescribedisrepeated. The receiver R, in turning toward the platform, is raised to a horizontal position by the curved inclined rod 0".

The above invention is simple, not liable to get out of repair, and operates well.

Having thus described my invention, what I GARDNER A. BRUCE.

Witnesses:

.TAcoB MORGAN, EZRA GILMAN. 

